Book: Ivan Menchell
Music: Frank Wildhorn
Lyrics: Jack Murphy
Director: Nick Winston
With a ready-made audience of manga fans, the English language premiere of Frank Wildhorn, Ivan Menchell and Jack Murphy’s 2015 Death Note the Musical was never going to be anything less than a rousing crowd-pleaser. With a slightly longer run already announced for the Lyric Theatre with some cast modifications in September, this concert try-out at the London Palladium is really a fully staged preview that certainly makes its mark.
When two Shinigamis grow tired of their role as gods of death, Ryuk drops his notebook of the damned – the titular death note – to earth where it is found by teenager Light. Quickly realising its power, Light becomes an arbiter of death, dispatching criminals with just a stroke of the pen and earning a cult following among the people along with the pseudonym Kira. But his actions draw the attention of the police and pique the interest of L, their finest criminal investigator.
With audience members arriving in character and huge ovations for particular songs and creations, there are few in the room who are new to Death Note in some form whether it be the original manga, films and streaming service adaptations or this musical. For the uninitiated, the effect of Wildhorn, Menchell and Murphy’s work is instantly clear, a collection of powerful rock songs wrapped in a morally complex tale about the grey areas between good and evil plus a collection of human and fantasy creations that have access to a magical authority. There’s even a Faustian pact offering less life for increased power should the characters wish to upgrade their abilities.
And Death Note the Musical’s strongest element is its continual ambiguity, pushing character motivations on all sides so it is never clear who to root for. Light is the original hero, a vigilante in the superhero mould who eventually becomes drunk on the power he possesses while his arch nemesis L – a Sherlock Holmes-like genius able to make connections and deductions that elude his colleagues – is also warped by the intensity of the game he plays with Light, a determination to win at any cost. Even the Shinigamis step beyond themselves to take risks, all of which play into the murky nature of justice and the failure of State functions that drives these individuals to act outside the law.
Like so many concert-stagings, this isn’t really a concert at all but a full-blown production, all ready for its transfer to the Lyric. Justin Williams has built a multilayered, towering set that has domestic rooms, staircases and platforms that suits the Palladium space, while Ben Cracknell’s lighting design takes its cue from the rock-influenced composition with coloured light beams and plenty of showmanship. Even Nick Winston’s choreography is full of verve, particularly for pop star Misa’s number I’m Ready with bouncy girl group accompaniment.
Act Two loses its way a little with each character given a solo that largely recaps individual motivations while the plot remains relatively stagnant, waiting for Light and L to come together. But with strong performances from Joaquin Pedro Valdes as Light, Dean John Wilson as L, Adam Pascal as Ryuk and Frances Mayli McCann who makes a great deal out of a small role as Misa, they ensure the UK will be clambering for plenty more Death Note the Musical before long.
Runs until 22 August and then at the Lyric from 7 -10 September 2023
The Reviews Hub Score:
A rousing crowd-pleaser
